Hollow Rebirth
by Venath
Summary: When that first Hollow attacked his family, Ichigo Kurosaki was just a few seconds too slow. The Shinigami girl still saved his sister, but he had to admit that being dead wasn’t all it was cracked up to be…At first. AU, Pairings inside.
1. Death

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. If I did, I'm not sure there's anything that I'd really change anyway.

AN: Well, here goes my first foray into Bleach. I'm not an expert on the manga/anime, but I've seen enough of it that I feel pretty comfortable giving this a shot. On a similar note, I might use the manga version of certain events sometimes, and the anime version other times, depending on which fits my intentions best. Now, I believe I said "Pairings inside," so if you just want to figure out what the pairings are as you go along, this would be the time to look away.

Main pairings are IchiRuki and IshiHime, as well as some pretty minor IchiHime. Most others are too minor to really mention here.

With that out of the way, I haven't seen many fics like this, so I hope you enjoy.

"Talking"

_Thought_

**Time Passage**

* * *

This wasn't quite how Ichigo Kurosaki had planned to spend his evening. He'd expected his wackjob of a father to attack him the second he stepped through the door. That was normal. He'd expected Yuzu to try scolding them until they stopped. That was normal. He'd expected Karin to ignore them and eat his share of their meal. That was normal. He hadn't honestly even been surprised that another spirit had shown up at his house. All of these things, strange as they may have seemed to an outsider, were all common occurrences to the Kurosaki Clinic and its inhabitants.

Being sprawled out on the ground, with bones broken and blood dribbling from his mouth and nose, as a real life Shinigami dueled with a huge spiritual monster that had recently attacked both of his kid sisters was far from normal, even by his unusual standards. As he tried to move, only to fall back as what he could only describe as sheer agony speared its way through his body, he had to admit that it really was his fault. He didn't regret trying to protect his little sister, he could never regret that, but he should have reacted faster when this "Hollow" thing had slammed him into the ground. If he'd been just a second faster, its fist wouldn't have been able to strike him a second time, wouldn't have quite literally crushed the life out of him.

Barely able to watch through the cloud of mist covering his eyes, he managed to make out the spray of blood as the strange dark-haired spirit cut through the monster's skull with little effort, before rushing to catch his sister as she fell from its grip. He couldn't see Karin well enough to tell if she was still breathing, but somehow he just **knew** that she was going to be safe. The thought was comforting as the world around him began to blur and darken, the pain he'd felt before beginning to give way to a sense of numbness.

Pulling off one last smile as he saw the Shinigami checking over his sister, he allowed the darkness to consume him.

* * *

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ She couldn't help cursing herself as her Zanpakutō tore through the Hollow's arm, and she prepared to leap at it as it reared back with a howl. Shinigami weren't supposed to be shocked into inaction no matter what the cause. They were taught better than that. Yet she hadn't reacted in time when the strange human boy had broken free of the Kidō Bakudō Number One. She wouldn't have been surprised at all if it were a Shinigami, or maybe even a regular spirit, but a living, breathing human? It was simply unheard of.

Taking the chance, she leapt forward and brought the blade downward over the Hollow's head, cleanly cutting it in half. She was already on her way to catch the boy's sister as the Hollow began to fade away, easily breaking her fall before she could be hurt. A brief inspection made it obvious that the girl was alive, if unconscious. She set her down gently, and rushed to check the person she was far more concerned with. She'd seen the hit he'd taken, and she would undoubtedly be shocked even further if he **hadn't** been injured by a shot like that. When she reached him though, it was worse than she thought.

Much worse.

Blood was everywhere, the ground below him was shattered, and before she'd even stepped close enough to make certain, she knew what she was going to find. And just as she'd feared, she was right. The boy had died. He'd died because he'd charged in, and **she** hadn't reacted fast enough. It was far too familiar for her tastes. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, her soul phone went off before she could delve too deeply into those thoughts. Flipping it open and taking a glance, she decided that the least she could do was make sure his father and sisters were safe in their rooms before going off to find her next target. It wasn't too far away, and neither of the three were injured so seriously that she would have to step in to do something. But taking the body somewhere safe would have to wait. Unlike his family, he wouldn't be in any immediate danger. It certainly wasn't soon enough for his soul to start changing. No, she would come back and give him a proper sending off just as soon as she had destroyed the next Hollow.

When she found it, the Hollow was pathetically weak. It took mere minutes to track it down and cleanse it. It took an equally short time to return to the place where she'd failed to protect the strange human boy that had been trying to protect his sisters.

The boy whose body was gone.

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki was dead. He'd known it was going to happen long before he'd finally allowed the darkness to consume him, allowed the pain to leave his body.

So imagine his surprise when his eyes opened to find the large, frowning, giant-mustached face of Tessai Tsukabishi inches away from his own.

Ichigo Kurosaki screamed. From a few rooms away, Kisuke Urahara grinned.

"Well, I guess he's awake."

* * *

AN: Well, there's the prologue. A little short, but that's usually how it is with my prologues. As you can see, I based this more on the anime version of the first chapter. I've only read one other Bleach story with this type of plot, so I hope it's original enough to enjoy. Anyway, I'd love to hear what you have to say, so R&R if you feel like taking the time.


	2. Resolve

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. If I did, I'm not sure there's anything that I'd really change anyway.

AN: I'm kind of surprised with how fast this chapter got out. But hey, I was inspired. Anyway, "Training scenes" have never really been my favorite thing, but since it's a bit hard to avoid, I gave it my best shot. I hope you enjoy.

"Talking"

_Thought_

**Time Passage**

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki screamed, and his fist shot up into Tessai's face in an act of pure instinct developed after years of random surprise attacks by one Isshin Kurosaki. Unlike his father, however, Tessai showed no signs of budging. Instead, he simply turned his head to the side and called out to someone that Ichigo couldn't see.

"Boss, the boy just woke up!"

"Get the hell off me you psycho!"

Ignoring it as Ichigo shoved his palm into his face and began trying to shove him off, Tessai turned to him with a serious expression. "The Boss, Mister Urahara, told me to inform him the moment you awoke."

"…Get the hell off me you psycho!" And, as one would expect, Ichigo didn't exactly care what his reasons were. As Ichigo was busy shoving and cursing the older man, he was a bit too distracted to hear the door sliding opening out of his view.

"Good to see you're awake, kid." Ichigo looked back over to the entrance, where a blond man wearing clogs and a hat that seemed to shade his eyes completely was grinning at the pair.

"Tessai, could you go get things ready?" The larger man nodded, and left the two alone.

"Where am I!? Who are you people!?" Ichigo shifted as the man named Tessai left, only to notice an unfamiliar feeling on his chest. He looked down and held up an odd chain, tugging at it, and letting out a yelp as he realized that it was attached to his chest.

"What the hell is this!?"

"Thanks, Tessai. I can handle the kid from here."

"Seriously, what is this thing!?" He pulled the chain a little more, until all twenty-six links were visible, and stared at the broken link on the end. "And why's it cut off at the end?"

"That's what we call a 'Chain of Fate.' Everybody has one when they die."

"When they die?" The memories of the previous day began flashing through his mind, and he shot up to his feet in a panic. "Oh shit! Karin, Yuzu, Dad! They're-"

"You're family is just fine, kid."

"If anything happened to th-wait, what?"

"Don't worry about 'em. Your little Shinigami friend made sure to make sure they were safe after everything was over."

"Little Shinigami friend?" _Yeah, I guess she would be able to handle something like that. Better than I did, anyway._ "You're sure, Mister Hat 'n Clogs? They're all safe?"

"Mister what? Ah, never mind. Trust me, they'll be fine. Shinigami always make sure that people are alright after Hollow attacks. They tend to tamper with their memories a bit too, but it can be a little random."

"Tampering with their memories?" _That's a little immoral, isn't it? But I guess they can't let everyone running around knowing about Hollows and Shinigami…_ "How random could it really be?"

"You're dad and sisters think a truck drove through your house, and that you chased after him in a fit of rage."

_Huh? They think a truck did what now?_ "Wait, how do you know what happened?"

"I know a lot of things, kid."

_Well, that certainly clears things up. Jackass._ "…Okay then. Wow, so I'm really dead, huh?"

"Afraid so, kiddo."

"Strange. I figured it'd be a bit different. Wait a sec, if I'm dead then shouldn't I be near the place I died or something?"

"Hey, the kid knows spirits. Well who'd of thought? Anyway, in most cases a spirit will leave the body within a couple minutes of dying, so they'd normally do just that. At the maximum, it usually doesn't take more than a few minutes. But every few years, usually because of a Hollow or some other special condition, there's an oddball like you that ends up being stuck in their corpse for a while. If that's the case, you need guys like us to come and pop you out. And since the stubborn ones like you tend to be a bit unconscious when that happens, we might have to hack at your Chain of Fate a little."

"Guys like you? What are you exactly? And what if you didn't get me out of there, Mister Hat 'n Clogs?"

"Then you'd probably be stuck in there for a few years. A few months, with a lot of luck. But there's no need to worry. If your spirit still hadn't shown up by the time your little Shinigami friend came back to take care of your family, she probably would have been able to fix the problem. As for what we are? That's not too important right now."

"Humph. That makes sense. I guess. Kinda. So what about my body? If you had to get me out then it should be around here somewhere, right?"

"Yeah, about that, your body was kind of trashed in the fight. So you see, we had to throw it out."

"You did what!"

"Hey, hey, calm down. It's not like you could've used it again anyway. Even if you did somehow get back in, you'd probably just die again anyway. If it was as simple as stepping back into your body, there'd be a lot more people on this planet."

"Oh man, this sucks! What the hell am I supposed to do now!?"

"Well, I imagine you should probably cross over to the Soul Society. That's where most souls go after it's all said and done."

"Cross over to the-No way, I'm not ready to go anywhere yet! And I can't leave Yuzu and Karin, and that idiot dad of mine all alone! There's gotta be something I can do!"

"It's too bad you feel that way. Souls that don't enter the Soul Society have this bad little habit of becoming Hollows, like the one you ran into last night."

"W-what?" _No, no way!_ He couldn't just leave his family, but there was no way in hell that he was going to let himself turn into one of the monsters that had nearly killed them all. That **would** have killed them all if the Shinigami hadn't been there.

"Yeah, it's real sad. And the first thing they usually do is go after their families, if they have 'em. A real shame."

"B-but I wouldn't! I mean…" He never wanted to hurt his family, but he had to admit that he really didn't know much about these 'Hollow" things. All he really had was the crash course that the Shinigami had given him just before the attack. What if he really did turn into a Hollow? Was that something that someone could control? Because based on how feral the thing that had killed him was acting, he'd have to hazard a guess and say no.

"Hmm. You know, there is **one** other option."

"What is it? I'll do anything!" _Just don't let me become one of those things!_ He knew that the man in front of him was probably playing him from the start. It was obvious that this Urahara had been coaxing him towards this "one other option," but he didn't know nearly enough about the world of spirits to say whether or not he was bluffing. And if this "other option" really would let him stay near his family without putting them in danger…

"You could try to become a Shinigami."

_A Shinigami? Like that girl from before?_ "I can do that?" Being a Shinigami didn't exactly sound like something that you could just sign up for.

"Not normally, no. If you go to the Soul Society, it's a long and tedious process. And even then you don't exactly get to go wherever you want, whenever you want. Buuuut, I happen to know a little trick that speeds the process up a bit. It's a lot more risky, but you could be a Shinigami in a matter of days, and since it might be a little bit…Oh, let's say 'unofficial'" _Unofficial, illegal. Same difference._ "You wouldn't have to worry about trying to get assigned somewhere else."

"Seriously!? You'd do that for me, Mister Hat 'n Clogs?" He paused, knowing that there had to be more to it than that. If this guy wanted him to become a Shinigami, there must have been a reason. He didn't seem like a **bad** guy, but he didn't seem like he'd just do something like this for no good reason. "Wait, what's the catch? There's gotta be a catch here."

Urahara simply grinned, mumbling to himself. "Hey, he **is** smart enough to ask first."

"What was that?" Urahara simply waved the question off.

"Nothing, nothing. Well, I could always use a little extra help around the shop. Plus, I don't have the time to deal with all of the Hollows that have been appearing here in Karakura lately. So do a few chores and promise to deal with 'em once you've got your powers, and I think we can call it even."

"That's it? Just help around here and do a little monster hunting? No more strings attached?" It still sounded a bit iffy, but he honestly couldn't say that he believed the man was lying.

"No more strings attached."

He didn't **want** to spend the rest of his life, or afterlife anyway, hunting down monsters. But if it meant that he'd get to see his family again, even if they couldn't see him back, and protect them when any more of those things came around…

"Okay. You've got a deal, Mister Hat 'n Clogs."

"Well then, I think it's time for you to start your lessons. The others should be ready by now, so come on."

Ichigo stood, and followed Urahara to a darker room where what seemed to be a large, open trap door was placed in the center of the room. Urahara made his way to the hole, lowering himself down onto the ladder before waving Ichigo over.

"Hm, let's see what's down here, shall we?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow, but followed the odd man anyway. And he honestly found himself amazed when it was bright enough to see again after crawling down for a few feet. The space below this "shop" of his was a massive, desert-like room, looking almost as though they'd driven far out of the city instead of simply going into the basement.

"No way! This place is amazing! Who would've guessed that all this time there was a huge subterranean training ground under my little shop?"

"Oh give it a rest, Mister Hat 'n Clogs. You'd have to be an idiot to not know this was down here after all this time." _Still…_Ichigo looked around the massive chamber, and gave it an approving nod. "I've gotta admit, it's pretty impressive."

"So the, you wanna get down to business?" Ichigo glanced over the small crowd that had gathered. There was Urahara, Tessai, a redheaded boy, and a dark-haired girl holding what looked like training equipment. After a moment of silence, the boy spoke up.

"Hey, I'm Jinta. Who're you, new guy?"

"Eh? I'm Ichigo. So let's get this over with already. What's the deal?" He sighed, but his next breath didn't come quite so easily. Come to think of it, breathing had been getting steadily more difficult each minute that he'd been awake. "Hey Mister Hat n' Clogs, what's up with the air? I can barely breathe over here."

"Ah, noticed that did you?" He chuckled again, leaning on his cane. "You're a spirit now. Unfortunately, you haven't really accessed your spiritual power yet. Not in any way you could control, at least. So getting you to use that is our first objective here. Let's start off with a little match, eh?"

"A match?"

"Yes, a match. Just let me get your opponent out here real quick." Urahara cupped one hand at the side of his mouth, calling for this "warrior" in an overly dramatic voice. "Warrior! Are you ready for battle?"

Ichigo's eyes began shifting around the desert-like arena, looking everywhere for his opponent. _Let's see, we've got Mister Hat 'n Clogs, the redheaded kid, that crazy psycho that woke me up, and the little girl bringing us our gear. But where's this challenger?_ A meek, feminine voice greeted him.

"It's nice to meet you, Mister Ichigo. My name is Ururu." And much to his annoyance, Urahara's voice answered the question in a way that he wasn't quite expecting.

"Here's your first lesson. You're going up against Ururu one-on-one."

"Wha…?"

"The rules are simple. The match is over when one of you can't keep fighting. Here's a little tip: You'll probably wanna go for a knockout punch, Ichigo."

_But she's as old as Karin and Yuzu! Probably even younger!_ "Hey, you've gotta be kidding me! I'm not gonna hit a little girl, man!"

"It's always dangerous to underestimate your opponent, Ichigo. You should really remember that." With that, a head protector and some gloves were tossed to his side, and Ichigo looked into the face of a girl less than half his size.

"Please put on this protective gear, Ichigo. I don't wanna kill you."

As the girl through a light practice strike, letting out a small grunt as she did so, Ichigo decided that he didn't care what Urahara had to say. There was no way he could seriously attack this kid.

"This is ridiculous. I'm not doing-" His eyes widened in surprise as the girl dashed forward, and his world began to spin as her fist connected with his jaw. The ground around him began to crumble, sending clouds of dust everywhere.

"Well, we tried to warn him, didn't we?" Urahara mumbled from behind a small fan held in front of his mouth. Tessai and Jinta could only nod. The dust began to clear, Ururu standing calmly in the center, and Jinta tilted his head to the side.

"Huh? Where'd he go? I don't see him anywhere."

"Do ya suppose he's dead?" Tessai added curiously.

"Hard to say." As soon as the words had left his mouth, Ichigo was tumbling out of the dust cloud, and began dashing towards Ururu with a terrified expression. Tessai nodded in admiration.

"Looks like he's going for it."

"Brave guy."

Urahara said nothing as Ichigo ran straight passed the girl, picking up the protective gear along the way. Shoving the gloves into his pocket, he began fumbling with the head protector, his anxious voice calling out a few seconds later.

"How the heck do you put this thing on?" _Little Miss Muffet hits me with another one of those and I'm gonna be taking a long dirt nap._

"Strap the headgear onto your forehead, Ichigo!"

Ichigo mimicked the older man's motions with the gear. "You mean like this?"

"Yeah, now call out as loud as you can, 'Amazing Headband of Justice in place! Amazing Armor of Justice protect me now!' Go on, say it!"

_No freaking way!_ "Ah come on, that's just stupid!" He barely managed to dodge another punch, the terrified expression returning to his face as he shoved the headgear to his forehead and yelled the words he'd just been told.

"Hey, whattya know, he actually said it."

_What!_ "What! Man, I'm gonna kill you when this is over!"

"Look out behind you, kid."

"Huh? Whaaaa!" The headgear finally snapped into place as he began running yet again, the girl nearly managing to put him in the ground several times as he slipped on the gloves as well.

"Amazing Armor of Justice my ass, Hat 'n Clogs! More like Amazing Armor of Crap!" _Oh man, I'm not gonna be able to keep running like this forever. Wait, running? If she can't catch me, then…Right, I **should** be able to dodge her attacks._

Urahara smiled as the look of understanding came over Ichigo's face. _Looks like he's starting to get it. Impressive. I thought he'd be running a little longer._

Ichigo quickly swerved around, surprising Ururu as she jumped for another punch. He barely managed to dodge it, but he was pleased to see that he did in fact dodge it. _Right. Now I can go on the offensive!_

Decision made, he charged the small girl, letting loose with a flurry of punches aimed towards her headgear. For all the freakish strength she'd displayed, he still couldn't bring himself to honestly go for a painful shot. It would just feel too much like hitting one of his sisters or something. But as his fingers grazed her cheek, drawing a small trickle of blood and causing her eyes to widen, he knew that he probably should have taken Urahara's advice and gone for a knockout punch. Before he knew it, the girl was standing on his arm, her leg hoisted in the air for a kick straight to his head.

He sailed back as her foot made contact, a trail of dust leading to his position by a large wall of stone. Shaking his head to get through the haze that had formed in his mind, he felt something big holding him up. Glancing back, he found Tessai against the back of a large hole in the rock, clearly having taken the brunt of the impact. Looking back towards Ururu, his eyes somehow managed to widen even more when he realized that Urahara had grabbed her leg and most likely withheld a lot of the strike's power in the process.

_Forget "freakish." That strength just isn't human!_

"Safe!" Urahara called out with a cheery voice.

"Alright, that's it! Give me another shot at her!" _There's no way I'm failing this lesson, even if this kid is that strong!_

"If you want to, kid. But the lesson's over so it'd be kinda pointless."

"Huh? What do you mean it's over? I lost."

"Man, you rookies are all the same. It's not always about winning or losing. Listen Ichigo, Ururu here is strong enough to take on full-fledged Shinigami and Hollows. You **couldn't** beat her at your level, and I wouldn't expect you to. Tell me, you still having a hard time breathing?"

"I-" He paused, realizing that his breathing **had** actually gotten much easier. "Well, not that you mention it, I'm not."

"And that was the point. You didn't need to win the fight. You just needed to access your Reiryoku, your spiritual power."

"Okay, and what if it **didn't** work?"

"You'd probably be dead."

"Why didn't you say that in the first place!?"

"Hey, calm down kid. I had faith that you'd pull it off, and you didn't disappoint me. Anyway, so far so good. Tessai, you're up."

_Oh man, don't tell me I've gotta fight this guy too! If that kid was so strong, he's probably gonna maul me!_ Ichigo winced as Tessai lifted a large axe, and brought it down towards him, only to blink in surprise as he saw a good portion of the chain on his chest fly off to the side. As he was staring at the broken chain in shock, Tessai suddenly shoved him to the ground, sitting down on his back.

"…What the hell!"

"Time for your second lesson. The moment that we severed your Chain of Fate to get you away from your body earlier this morning, the encroachment began. That chain will start destroying itself, and when it reaches your chest, well, you become a Hollow." There was no chance that Ichigo was going to let that happen.

"N-no way. What do I have to do?"

Urahara folded the fan he'd been using, pointing it down at Ichigo. "If you don't want to become a Hollow, you must become a Shinigami. If you manage to clear lesson two, you should find that you've managed to become one of the Shinigami. Of course, the choice is up to you. Well then, let's get this party started."

"Bring it on." Urahara just grinned, pointing his fan to the sky.

"Go!"

And Ichigo let out a surprised cry as a huge hole seemed to appear below them, and they began to fall.

"Well whattya think of that? We really suckered him that time, didn't we?"

"Heh. Yeah, good one."

"Man, that's one deep hole Ururu. Good job."

"I do my best."

As they heard the crash indicating that Ichigo and Tessai had reached the bottom, and the two kids rushed towards the edge of the hole to look, Kisuke Urahara let the confident and relaxed façade drop slightly.

_And now begins the real test. Good luck, Ichigo._

* * *

AN: Well, there ya go. Most updates probably won't come quite so fast, but even with how much I dislike training scenes, this one just kind of came to me. As per usual, I hope you enjoyed it, and I'd love to hear your opinions, tips, etc, etc. That's kind of the point in posting these things on FFN, after all.


	3. The Countdown Begins

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. If I did, I'm not sure there's anything that I'd really change anyway.

AN: Well, here goes chapter three. Shorter than the last one, but most chapters will probably average at around this length, and perhaps between 500-1000 words longer from time to time.

"Talking"

_Thought_

**Time Passage**

* * *

**Human World, Urahara Shop Underground Training Room, Late Afternoon**

The afternoon had begun its gradual shift to the evening, when the city outside would soon come to its daily rest. Yet while the hustle and bustle of the day began to draw to a close in Karakura Town, there was a much different story taking place deep below the small store owned by one Kisuke Urahara. With the afternoon quickly coming to a close, Ichigo Kurasaki was struggling with the bonds holding his arms behind his back, recently put in place by Tessai after entering the shattered shaft.

"What the hell is this, Hat 'n Clogs?"

"It's lesson two, of course. I call it the Shattered Shaft. As of now you've got seventy two hours to get out of that hole."

"Get out of a hole? Heh. No problem Hat 'n Clogs. Even if my hands are tied behind my back, I'm gonna get out of here and kick your ass!"

"Well that's good to hear, Ichigo. Because if you don't make it out in that time period, you'll become a Hollow." He paused, pushing his hat up slightly to get a better look at the teen. "And we'll have to kill you."

"W-what?"

"Yeah, take a look." He tapped the fan on his chest, where the Chain of Fate would have been if he were deceased. Glancing down at his own chain, Ichigo nearly cried out in fear for what would have felt like the hundredth time that day, as the links on the end of the chain had grown mouths and started eating away at the link below.

"Better start climbing, Ichigo."

**Transformation Initiated. 72 Hours Remaining**

* * *

**Soul Society, Seireitei, 70 Hours Remaining**

Rukia's report had been less than pleasant to say the least, and it had Jūshirō worried. Not about her performance, of course. She was a highly talented combatant, and any Shinigami likely would have been stunned if a regular human had managed to break through a Kidō Bakudō, even one as weak as the first. After all, it was highly uncommon to find a living human with that kind of Reiryaku. No, he was concerned more for her state of mind. Rukia had always had an unhealthy tendency to put all of the blame on herself when a situation went bad, even when there was nothing more she could have done.

And so, as he always did when his young companion was torturing herself over something, he made an effort to raise her spirits that would inevitably end in failure. But as her Captain, friend, and mentor, he couldn't very well just let it go without a word. Finding her had been a simple matter, as she always walked the same paths when lost in thought.

"We need to talk, Rukia."

"Can we please not do this now, Captain Ukitake?" He knew she meant no disrespect. She never did.

"I know that telling you not to blame yourself won't do any good. No matter how hard I try, you always believe that you're responsible when someone is lost."

"We're Shinigami. Our entire purpose is to protect the innocent from Hollows. How can I not blame myself when I stood by and watched as one of those monsters murdered an innocent boy?"

"It's not your fault. I know you don't believe that, Rukia, but it truly wasn't. You were shocked, and he was being reckless. Circumstances were simply not in your favor. It hurts, but sometimes that is simply how the universe works."

"May I please go now, Captain?" She was getting impatient. At the very least, he had to do **something** to help.

"Rukia, wait. I know you don't want to, but I think you should take a day to rest. Give yourself some time to think things over."

"I don't really think-"

"Please, Rukia? At least do it for me. Give your dear old Captain one thing less to worry about tonight." He really hated using his illness to manipulate people, but the girl just wouldn't stop pushing herself for anything less. Different though they may have been, if she picked nothing else up during her time with Kaien Shiba before his death, it was the curse of being unbelievably stubborn.

"…Alright, Captain Ukitake. I'll take a little time off, if it makes you feel better." And curse it all, now **he** was the one feeling guilty.

"It truly does, my friend. And please, try not to be so hard on yourself." She nodded, though they both knew it was only for his sake. Going their separate ways, Rukia was beginning to think over what had happened back in the human world for what felt like the millionth time when she ran into something rather solid, and promptly fell on her back. Looking up, she felt a blush spread across her face as she realized whom she'd just made a fool of herself in front of.

"Oh, C-Captain Aizen, I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention." _Great. First I freeze up and let that boy die, just like-_ She stopped that train of thought before it could start –_then I'm caught not paying attention and make a complete fool of myself in front of a Captain. One of the most respected Captains in the Soul Society, no less. This day just keeps getting better and better._

"Oh no, no need to apologize. The fault was mine. I'm afraid I was rather lost in thought." He paused, glancing away as though he were embarrassed, nervously pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. "My deepest apologies, Miss Kuchiki, but I couldn't help overhearing your conversation with Captain Ukitake. May I offer some advice?"

"Advice?" _Please tell me he's not going to start telling me how sorry he is. I've had enough pity for one afterlife._ Even with as few friends as she had, they all seemed intent on making sure she was "okay" after her return. Either way, she took the hand he'd offered her, allowing him to help her up.

"Yes, if it's alright with you. Walk with me?" For a moment she almost considered declining – talking about these imagined "problems" that everyone seemed to believe she had wasn't high on her priority list – but she **had** just run into the man.

"Very well, Captain Aizen." He smiled, clearly pleased with her response as they began moving.

"You should do as your Captain has suggested. Take some time to rest. Not even the Captains have absolutely perfect records." Rukia gave a silent sigh. It **was** just another "don't blame yourself" speech. _Great. Because I haven't had enough of those already._

"You see, I've learned something from my experiences over the years. The reason we fail, and we **all** fail at some point, is so that we may learn from those failures and better ourselves. You failed to protect someone who, from what I understand of your report, likely wouldn't have wanted your aid to begin with." He paused as they came to a small pond, sitting on a nearby bench and motioning for her to join him. She protested his claims, but took the offered seat all the same.

"He was just a human. An innocent. He shouldn't have needed to make that choice in the first place." Though she kept a straight face, the slight clenching of her fists may as well have been a blaring alarm announcing that she was angry with herself.

"You're right. He was just an innocent human, and he shouldn't have been in that position." Her eyes widened by a fraction, and she glanced over at him sharply. That was unusually blunt compared to what most generally told her.

"You should have knocked him unconscious. Or you should have bound him more securely. Or you should have taken the blow for him, or struck more quickly, or pushed him out of the way, or perhaps even given him your powers so that **he** could finish the battle. Miss Kuchiki, there are countless things that you **could** have done, and there are also countless mistakes that you **could** have made. But dwelling on what could-have-been and what might-have-happened will do nothing but inhibit your performance when the next chance to prove yourself arises." His gentle smile was strangely soothing, as was the hand that he lightly placed on her shoulder.

"You must see your mistakes, but you must also rise above them. To achieve new heights, we must not allow our errors in judgment to consume us, but rather we should use them to strengthen our resolve. Shinigami fear what the Hollows represent, even if they don't fear the Hollows themselves. The Hollows feed on that fear, and they use it as their strength. To combat them, a Shinigami must rise above that fear." He gave her shoulder a light squeeze before removing his hand, and gave her another smile. A sense of relief seemed to overcome her, and she returned his gesture with a small smile of her own.

"You are no different, Miss Kuchiki. Do not forget this incident, or try to excuse what happened as a result of your actions. Instead, take this unfortunate occurrence as a learning experience. Rest, gather your thoughts, and when you're ready, return to the human world and use the power you've gained from this obstacle to show your enemies that a failure, no matter how painful, will never be enough to stop you from fighting."

That, much to her surprise, actually made some sense. After constantly hearing people say that she shouldn't blame herself, that it was simply a common mistake, or that there was nothing that she could have done, it was somewhat refreshing to hear a different take on things.

"You're…Unusual, Captain Aizen." Realizing what she'd said, she corrected herself immediately. "I mean no offense, of course!"

He chuckled, shaking his head with amusement.

"No offense was taken, Miss Kuchiki. I view it as a compliment. Please, feel free to speak your mind."

"It's just that, I'm not sure. Everyone tells me that it wasn't my fault, but I know that it was. And I know that they know it too, but they still just keep…" _How do I say this?_

"It's because they want to protect you." He was looking out over the pond now, towards a group of children who had clearly just been released from the Shinigami Academy.

"Protect me?" _But why would they want to protect me? And from what? The truth?_

"Captain Ukitake means well, of course. I have no doubt about that. However, just as I view those in my own division as such, in his eyes you are his children, his family. Sometimes those feelings can make one say what they think will comfort their loved ones the most, rather than what needs to be said. That is why it's sometimes easier to speak of your troubles with a stranger."

"Like you, Captain Aizen." She smiled slightly, uncomfortable with addressing a superior so casually, but somehow compelled to continue. His smile didn't falter, so she could only assume that he had no problems with the behavior.

"Well, I like to think that we're all friends here, but yes. You shouldn't hold it against him. He realizes that you are a Shinigami, and a skilled one at that, but even this knowledge will not be able to override that inherent desire we have to protect those who are precious to us. Had it been one of those children for instance," He gestured towards the students "I would no doubt feel the need to hold them, and shelter them, and tell them that everything was going to be all right. But you are a grown woman, and a Shinigami. Everyone needs comforting at some point, but there comes a time when they will need encouragement. To spread their wings, rather than hide in the safety of the nest."

He stood, and she followed without thinking. She looked up at the much taller Shinigami and smiled, a genuinely thankful smile this time, and gave a small but respectful bow to the Captain of the Fifth Division.

"Thank you, Captain Aizen." His smile widened, and he brushed the comment aside with a friendly wave.

"Oh, think nothing of it Miss Kuchiki. It is a Captain's privilege and honor to help his juniors in times of need."

"Hm. Please, call me Rukia." She wouldn't normally make such a request of a Captain, but there was something about Sōsuke Aizen that attracted people to him. That made people want to befriend him.

"Ah, if I may, then please call me Sōsuke. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I have a prior appointment with an old colleague to attend, but I do hope my advice has been worth the while. Please take care of yourself, Rukia."

She nodded. "And you as well, Captain Sōsuke."

As they parted, she pondered over that little encounter. She had only seen the Captain of the Fifth Division on a few rare occasions herself. However, his Lieutenant, Momo, had often spoken of his wisdom and charisma. While Rukia was pretty confident that the young girl overestimated just what Aizen was capable of, she now had little doubt that he at least deserved some of that credit. His words hadn't been life-changing or anything of the sort, but somehow she just felt lighter than before, as if he'd taken some of the weight off of her shoulders with him when he'd removed his hand.

His suggestion that she **not** make excuses about her mistake and dwell on what she couldn't change, but instead focus on what she **could** change in the future, had been refreshing. Enlightening, even. As she made her way back to the Thirteenth Division's barracks, she decided that sooner or later she'd have to thank him. A gift, perhaps. She doubted that she possessed anything of value that he was unable to attain himself, but she would have to think about it further sometime.

But for now, she needed a good night's rest. Then tomorrow, she would request permission to be stationed in a certain human world town until the Hollow situation started to die down.

* * *

AN: Well, I hope you enjoyed, and I'd love to hear what you have to say. And please, don't hesitate to point out errors (Be they grammar, plot, characters, or whatever). Heaven knows I'm far from the perfect writer.


	4. Hollow

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. If I did, I'm not sure there's anything that I'd really change anyway.

AN: Sorry about how long it took to get this one out. Life kind of got in the way for a while there, so basically all of my stories were on hold for a bit. Anyway, I think I'm starting to get back into the swing of things, so here's to hoping I haven't gotten **too** rusty in this last year.

"Talking"

_Thought_

**Time Passage**

* * *

**Soul Society, Seireitei**

"Hello there, Captain Aizen."

"Ah, Gin, it's good to see you. My apologies for postponing our appointment, but you know how it can be sometimes." To play the game, the pieces had to be understood, and this particular piece could quite possibly be important in the future. Of course he understood.

"Yes, yes indeed. I hear that dear little Miss Kuchiki has been reassigned to that human town, Karakura. I don't suppose you had anything to do with that, hm?"

"I might have made a few suggestions here and there. After all, reflecting on the recent events in her life would do little good if she was unable to return and confront them, no?"

"You always have been one to insist on playing the role of the ever-watchful father, Captain. You should be careful about that."

"Why do you say that? Was I too informal with Miss Kuchiki? I do hope I haven't offended anyone. I seem to have a poor habit of looking into other peoples' business sometimes."

"Oh, nothing like that. It's just a friendly suggestion from a fellow Captain. If you aren't careful, you may end up poking your nose in to business that would be better left alone. And we wouldn't want that, would we Captain Aizen?" As they continued their little game, they pretended not to notice some of the younger onlookers who were trying to remain nonchalant. They were always excited to see the Captains in person, so seeing two of them making what might have appeared as partially-veiled threats must have been fascinating.

"I don't know. A little trouble now and then builds character. Wouldn't you agree, Gin?"

"What doesn't kill you…" He trailed off, leaving the statement unfinished with a grin.

"Quite. Now amusing double-talk aside, I believe you wanted to tell me something, correct?" It must have been important. Something from a contact in the human world usually was. Well, in most cases anyway. "And please tell me this isn't about that absurd handmade riceball conspiracy. We were lucky that little fiasco didn't reach the ears of the Eleventh. Heavens only know how long it would take them to let it go, paranoid as they are."

"Would I ever trouble you with something so menial? No, I think you'll find this little discovery of mine most interesting, Captain. Most interesting indeed. Perhaps we should move to a more…private…location."

* * *

**Urahara Training Grounds**

"Argh!" Ichigo fell on his back yet again, staring up towards the opening. _Damn, this isn't getting me anywhere. There has to be some kind of trick to it. This seriously blows._ _I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I'm in a hole._ Not to mention that he still had dirt in his mouth, the result of his brilliant idea that he might be able to get a grip on the wall with something a bit sharper than his shoes. It hadn't ended well.

"Hey old man, getting hungry?"

Ichigo tilted his head back, seeing the little red-headed kid standing there with a plate of food. _Jinta?_

"When the hell did you get down here, brat?" So maybe he was still a little sore about the whole spitting thing a few hours back.

"Me? Just a minute ago, but that doesn't matter. Like I said, you getting' hungry yet?"

_That jackass is probably just testing me or some crap. Little sadist. Well I'm not falling for it. _"Not a chance kid. I've only been down here for about a day. You can take your food and shove it. I'll be outta here in no time."

"About a day? Oh yeah, I guess I forgot about that."

"Forgot about what?"

"Ya see, time passes a bit different for someone down here than it does up there. You've been down here for almost three days now. About sixty hours, actually. I figure you've probably got four or five hours left before the last encroachment begins, give or take a few. It's not always the same length for everybody." Not that he could actually confirm that statement, given that this wasn't exactly a common procedure. But Urahara said he could motivate the guy however he wanted, and pissing him off was proving to be **very** entertaining.

""That's bullshit!" It had to be a bluff. _There's no way it's been that long! Oh man, I've gotta get out of here!_

"Hey, I don't make the rules. But I'll be a good sport about it and give you a little warning. The last encroachment? It won't be anything like the others." The fact that the boy **wasn't** smirking at him right now made him all the more desperate. He looked down to the chains as if they would come alive and eat **him** instead of just devouring themselves...And as they began to act again, he realized that he wasn't too far off. Jinta shot around at the sudden cry of fear, his eye widening as it dawned on him that even his estimate had been off. The final encroachment was starting already.

"Shit!"

"Jinta, get up here!" It hardly needed saying, and the boy was already pulling himself out of the hole. _This...this is too soon. Not good. Not good at all._

"Guess this means he's turning into a Hollow, right?" Jinta peered down into the hole, and Ururu stood up.

"I have to help!"

"Now, don't get too excited there, Ururu."

"Huh?"

"Just stay here and watch. Things are about to get interesting. Tessai?"

"Yes Boss!"

As Tessai dropped down into the hole to prepare the enhanced restraints Ichigo blacked out, awakening to find himself in a very different place. Instead of the dark, dusty depths of the shattered shaft, he was in a vast metropolitan landscape that seemed to be turned on its sides. Only one thing came to his mind, and it was something he'd asked himself quite a few times recently.

"What the hell?"

"Is this place unfamiliar to you, Ichigo?" He turned to look at the voice, and an odd man wearing black stood looking back at him, seeming to hover in an impossible position. Yet strangely, he seemed comfortable where he was.

"What the? Who're you?"

"What do you mean, Ichigo? It is I, Z..." The voice faded out as he gave his name, and Ichigo looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

_What? What was his name? Crappy time for my hearing to go wacky on me._

"...I see. How very sad that I still cannot reach you. Tell me, Ichigo, how many times must I cry out before you hear?"

"Why is everyone I've met lately so damned evasive? Can't you just tell me what the hell's going on and get it over with? And how do you keep floating like that?"

"Floating? Such a strange boy. Answer me this: How can you just sit there, in a place such as that?" And then he realized just what the man was talking about. The dark figure wasn't the one floating in an impossible position. **He** was the one sitting on the side of the building. And apparently, the moment that he realized this was the moment that he could no longer do it. He screamed as he lost his balance, falling alongside the wall. In a split second the man was beside him, calmly looking him in the eyes.

He still couldn't stop screaming. That is, until the man spoke again, the strong voice soothing even in such a crisis.

"If you have time to scream, then you have time to think, time to spare. Why are you so afraid, Ichigo?"

"Why am I afraid? **You're asking me why I'm afraid!?**" Why in the name of all things holy wouldn't he be terrified out of his mind?

"The Shinigami is a master of death. They are masters not only of themselves, but a great many spiritual beings."

"Well that's dandy, but I'm not a freaking Shinigami now, am I!?" The man let out a disappointed sigh.

"You have the power of a Shinigami at your disposal, hidden just below the surface of your mind. You always have. All that's left is to find it. And if there ever was a time when you must find the power of the Shinigami inside you, then that time is now, with the beginning of this world's collapse." And suddenly the world was flooded with small boxes, all with strands of white ribbon hanging from their edges.

"These boxes raining down, surrounding you, are the key. Inside one of them is the power you seek, but it is up to you to find it."

"What? This doesn't make sense! There are so many, how the hell am I supposed to find the right one!"

"I will tolerate no more excuses! There is little time left. You must find it before this world is completely destroyed, or you **will** become a Hollow."

"But it's impossible!" _It could take months to look through all of these! How can I find them before they've even finished falling! Damnit, what do I do!_

As if in response to his desperate cry, the world seemed to go dark, and an echoing parody of his own voice began to whisper in his ear.

"I can help, Prince." A pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders in what might have been a friendly gesture, had the circumstances not been what they are. "I can give you the answer. All that you have to do," The familiar voice paused for a brief, haunting chuckle at some joke that he didn't understand "Is trust me."

He, they, hit the ground, breaking through it as though it were glass. There was something wrong, dark, about the thing that was goading him into helping it. But this Zangetsu wouldn't help any further, and he was running out of time and ideas.

_I can't just pick 'em at random, it'd take too long. But this voice, I can't trust it. Right? Or is that part of the test? Is it me? Do I need to trust it to come out in one piece? I don't know what to do!_

"Help me."

"Hm. Very well, my little Prince." One of the pale-white hands loosened its grip, sliding down his arm to cover his own hand. He felt a surge of energy course through him, and they were falling through the crumbling world again. This time, though, it was easy to find his target. All of the boxes that Zangetsu had told him to search for had long, white ribbons trailing from them. All but a single one, which instead held a red ribbon that easily stood out from the rest.

"That's right, Prince. That's the one you're looking for." Somehow, as he gripped the ribbon, they almost seemed to just appear beside the cube in question. The side of the box fell open, revealing what looked like the hilt of a sword.

"This is it? Is this what I'm looking for?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

Both of the observers spoke at once, both the older man who called himself Zangetsu and the cold youthful voice whom he'd yet to actually see face to face.

"Take the hilt and know my name, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"You should listen to the old man, Prince."

"Right, okay then. Here goes." He gripped the hilt with the hand still being guided by the figure behind him, and a white light coursed through his fingers into the hilt of the blade.

"What was that?"

"There is no more time for questions, Ichigo. You must release me, now!"

"Hurry it up, Prince!"

Tightening his grip, he pulled the hilt as hard as he could as the world around him burst into light and the voice whispered through his thoughts once more.

"Congratulations, my King."

As the residents of Urahara's shop watched on, the violent nature of Ichigo's screams were becoming increasingly more powerful and the bonds around his arms beginning to break. Sweat dripped down Tessai's face as he prepared to push Ichigo's restraints to their limits, knowing that he couldn't allow this to continue for much longer.

"He's at his absolute limit, Boss! I'm switching to suppression mode!" Slamming his fists into the ground, he began the incantation.

"Bakudō 99 Part Two, Bankin! First Incantation: Bandage!" White streams of energy erupted from the ground, wrapping around the screaming soul before settling into the recognizable white bandages. As he began the second incantation, large sharpened nails flew through the air and began to impale the orange-haired teen.

"Second Incantation: Hundred Deadbolts!" As they finished stabbing into Ichigo's collarbone and shoulders, Jinta's nervous cry reached him from above.

"Hey, watch it down there Tessai! If you keep that up there's a good chance he'll die!" Moments later, Tessai's responded with an equally strained yell.

"I can't hold him down any longer! He must be destroyed immediately, before he becomes a Hollow!" He clapped his hands together in front of his face, beginning the final incantation that would unquestionably finish the struggle.

"Final Incantation: Fat-" Before he could finish, Tessai was launched backwards into the wall as an explosion of light echoed through the shaft. Ichigo, or whatever the human once known as Ichigo had become, screeched upwards until it tore through the ceiling of the training ground where they'd entered only a few days earlier. All four of the other occupants stared at the crumbling hole in shock, before Urahara summed up their feelings rather simply.

"Well damn. Didn't see that one coming." And with that rather obvious statement out of the way, they charged for the exit, intent on stopping the Hollow before it could do any serious damage.

* * *

**Karakura Town**

On an extended mission in the human world, the Shinigami often had need for a cover.

"My name is Rukia Kuchiki. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Looking at the restless children in the room, murmuring and whispering about the new student, she found herself cursing her young appearance for the first time. Not that she disliked her looks, but just about the only logical cover that she could use without bringing up a number of annoying questions was that of a high school student. And she was **not** ready to deal with a bunch of modern age teenagers in a world far different than the one she'd been raised in. At least she'd been able to read few some of those nifty stories about how teens acted these days…

"Please take the seat next to Orihime."

Apparently the teacher realized that pointing out who "Orihime" was wouldn't be necessary, as a busty girl with orange-brown hair leaned into the aisle waving excitedly. Smiling at the girl, Rukia quickly took the seat, glancing over as the girl gave her a whispered greeting.

"Hi! I'm Orihime Inoue, nice to meet you."

"Rukia Kuchiki."

"Miss Inoue, I know that you want to get to know our new student, but please try to keep it down."

"Sorry ma'am!"

Rukia listened intently as the class went on, finding herself curious about what was being taught to children in the human world. Even with all of her missions to eliminate minor Hollows, she had never really taken the time to get familiar with the strange place. Naturally, being so interested, these classes seemed to pass far too quickly for her tastes. On the other hand, most of her "peers" seem thrilled to have a break for lunch. Unsurprisingly, the cheery young woman that had greeted her earlier was the first to join her during the break.

"Hey there, Rukia!"

"Hello. Orihime, right?"

"Yep, that's me. And this," She indicated towards the dark-haired girl standing at her side. "Is Tatsuki. She's been my best friend ever since we were little."

"It's a pleasure, Miss Tatsuki."

"Right back at ya. And drop the 'miss'. Makes me feel old." Ah, the informal type. From what little research she'd managed to get done, it would seem that teenagers were considerably less "stuck up," as the Shinigami Women's Association President had once called it, than her real peers in the Soul Society had been. A bit like Renji in his earlier days, really.

She might just be able to enjoy this.

"We were gonna go have lunch. Do you want to join us Rukia?"

"I'm afraid I didn't really bring anything to eat…"

"It's okay, you can share with me."

"I'm not sure if Rukia shares your, uh, unique tastes, Orihime." _I'm not sure that __**anyone**__ does._

"Oh, it's no problem. I'm not very hungry."

"Are ya sure?"

"Really, Rukia?"

"Trust me, I'll be fine. But I'd love to join you, if it's still okay."

"Of course!" Orihime looped her arm through Rukia's, leading her towards the stairs as Tatsuki smiled, already too used to Orihime's overt friendliness to really be surprised.

They arrived on the roof just in time to join a small group of girls that were sitting around discussing something that she couldn't quite make out. She didn't know many names, though she was pretty certain that the curly-haired brunette's name was Mahana, having heard the teacher call on her at least once.

Few introductions were necessary, though she was glad that at least some customs hadn't changed between the Soul Society and the world of the living. Not to mention that it was nice to finally know who she was spending her time with. The next several minutes were filled with chatter, though Rukia didn't recognize even half of the things that they spoke of. There were a few basic questions tossed her way, where she was from, what she liked to do, but little that caught her attention. At least, not until one particular conversation was started.

"So have you heard anything from Ichigo?"

"Nothing new. Some guy drove into their house and Ichigo chased after him. I was thinking about asking his dad if he'd heard anything later."

_Not now._ "Excuse me, but who is this Ichigo that you're talking about?" _Tell me it's not him._ But she already knew what they were going to say. He'd lived not far from here, and he'd most definitely been in the right age range. It only made sense that he would go to this school. And the thought that there may have been a mistake in their memory alterations, allowing them to think that he was still alive but just missing, wasn't common by any means. Still, it was also far from unheard of, and a heartbreaking thing to deal with. Having to spend time with those in mourning was one thing, but knowing that someone wouldn't be returning and having to watch their loved ones wait and hope…

"Oh, Ichigo?" Orihime brightened up even more, if that was possible. "He's this guy that goes to our school. He's kind of scary sometimes, and he's always got this creepy frown, but I think he's pretty nice under all that. I mean, he gets in a lot of fights, but I don't think he starts them. Maybe if he's helping someone that's getting bullied. He doesn't like it much when people get picked on. I think it's 'cause he got picked on a lot as a kid because he's got orange hair, but you'd have to ask Tatsuki about that. She's known him since they were just little kids, so-" She stopped as the girl in question patted her on the head with a grin.

"I think she gets the point, Hime. Don't you Rukia? Rukia? Hey, Rukia, you okay over there?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I was just, uh, trying to picture someone like that." _It's him, no doubt. Natural orange hair isn't exactly common, and he acted just like she described. Damnit all, why did I have to pick a cover where I'd be with his friends?_ Even all the questions she probably would have gotten if people had seen a "young girl" running around outside of school wouldn't have been as bad.

"Well," The girl with the curly brown hair, Mahana, cut in. "He's a bit scary, but he **is** pretty cute in that 'bad boy' sort of way."

"Ew, gross! How could anyone think that ugly mug of his is cute?"

"You don't get any say in this, Tatsuki! You're practically his sister. Of course **you** don't think he's cute."

"He's okay I suppose, but you'd think that with all that fighting he'd look a little less scrawny. Maybe a little more like Sado." The somewhat cold first year girl with the long dark hair spoke up, flipping her book closed for a moment.

"Oh come on Ryō, **nobody** is like Sado. He's just huge! Besides, I didn't think you'd be in to sweet guys like that."

_Sado, Sado…They must be talking about that boy from class._ She had to admit he was a pretty tall and muscular guy for an average human, but compared to some of the people in the Soul Society, he just didn't seem that unusual.

"What's that supposed to mean!? And I do not have a crush on him!"

"I never said you did, but now that you mention it…"

"I-w-wait just a minute!"

This was…nice. It was all she could really think of to describe it. Now if she could just keep her mind off of that boy, she might just be able to make it last.

And at that moment, without realizing it, the young Shinigami had been silently accepted into their small group of friends. It was only after their afternoon classes had passed and she was preparing to track down Urahara to work out some specifics about her living arrangements that this truly hit her, as Orihime and Tatsuki caught up to her only a few minutes after leaving, apparently intent on escorting her home. Unsurprisingly, they were shocked to find that she didn't currently have any place to stay at the moment, and was in fact on her way to meet an "old friend of the family" to ask if he would be willing to keep her around for a little while. In retrospect, she probably should have developed a more thorough story earlier. But hey, they were teenagers, so she could probably wing it.

"It's all because of one unfortunate mishap when I was on the way here. I had an apartment all prepared, but the building was closed at the last minute because of safety violations. Then the movers got the wrong directions, and ended up going to a completely different town, and now I'll only have what I brought with me until they return. And they said that could be days. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do." She dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief (Embroidered with the oh-so-adorable Chappy the Rabbit, of course) that seemed to appear out of nowhere, sniffling dramatically. "I'm sorry, you two. I shouldn't bother you with this."

"Oh! Oh, me! You can stay with me!"

_Eh? Is she serious?_ Okay, so she'd anticipated a bit of pity from anyone that heard the story, but she hadn't honestly expected one of them to offer up a place to stay. She hadn't meant to manipulate them or anything…Then again, the frighteningly cheery girl was starting to grow on her, and while Tatsuki seemed to be a bit more suspicious, her expression was more amused than anything.

"Are you sure, Orihime? I wouldn't want to impose. I'm sure I could find someone willing to take in a young, lost, lonely girl like me…" Okay, but maybe she was putting it on a little **too** thick.

"It's no problem, really! You see I live all by myself, so it'd be fun to have some company. Not that you're not great company, Tatsuki! I mean-"

"Stop freaking out, Orihime, I know what you mean."

"Well, if it's really alright, then thank you Orihime. I would love to stay with you."

"I've never really had a roommate before! I mean my brother lived with me for a long time, but that's different. This is so cool! Hey Tatsuki, why don't you come over tonight? We could have dinner and watch a few movies and-Huh?" Orihime glanced around curiously. "What's that?" _It feels so strange, and angry._

"What's what, Orihime?" But there was no mistaking that she felt it too. Or that she'd noticed the subtle shift in Rukia's appearance when it appeared. _I think it's time to get Orihime and Rukia home. I have a bad feeling about this._

"Yes, I'm afraid I don't-" The signature ring of her soul phone sounded even as she felt the energy herself, and she flipped it open to reveal that the Hollow was nearby, and glanced towards the cheery girl in shock. _Did she sense this? The timing was too close to just be a coincidence. Is she aware of spirits like that boy, or is it just convenient timing?_ Either way, there wasn't enough time to contemplate it. She needed an excuse to get to that Hollow before it could do any damage.

They weren't the only ones noticing something unusual, however. As day gave way to evening, the residents of Karakura Town living near the small shop owned by Kisuke Urahara fled in terror as the small building's roof exploded. While it may have seemed like an explosion to the average citizens of the town, those with a sharper, somewhat well-tuned connection to the spiritual realm were feeling something quite different, a variety of similar thoughts running through their minds.

Back on the schoolgrounds, Uryū Ishida's grip on the needle slipped before he could press it through the fabric, and he shot up from his seat in frustration. _This isn't good. That Spiritual Pressure is more intense than the usual trash in this town. I need to get over there before that Shinigami does. There's no way I'll leave something like this to one of their kind.  
_

The tense and abrupt change in their fellow club member didn't escape the other students, and they looked on with concern as he dashed from the room. He had no choice. He'd known immediately that the new girl was a Shinigami. Their kind were impossible to miss for anyone who already knew of their existence, but he was forced to leave her be or risk his innocent classmates being caught in his vengeance. And since she'd dragged away several of the students on her way home, that was out of the question as well. But he couldn't simply stand by as a Shinigami dealt with a Hollow in **his** city.

As he carried the man who had hit him on his motorcycle towards the clinic run by Ichigo's family, Yasutora Sado did something that was almost as unfamiliar to him as being cruel was to Orihime. He flinched, and nearly lost his step. For a man who could be hit by a speeding motorcycle with barely losing a centimeter, to do so seemingly out of nowhere said something of what he must have been feeling. And what he was feeling..._Something odd is happening. What is this dark feeling? It's just the same as the day that Ichigo went after that driver that crashed through his home and the one I felt again just yesterday. But what could it be?_

And in that very clinic where the teenager had been heading, the sudden feeling of encroaching darkness didn't escape those who lived there. As Isshin stopped his playful, overly dramatic acting, legendary amongst their neighbors, he suddenly clutched at his chest as Yuzu looked on with concern. This was far too familiar, and while everything seemed a bit fuzzy, she knew that something horrible had happened the last time she felt this way. It had happened right before Ichigo had left for a while, and now that he wasn't there to shield her from her fears as he always did...

_This feels like…Ichigo? But it's so much darker! I thought Kisuke said that he'd be watching after him!_

_It feels so cold, and angry. And why's dad looking so scared? Does he feel it too? I hope Karin gets home soon._

And last of all, the cynical sister of Ichigo Kurosaki **was** on her way home when she felt it. Karin absent-mindedly kicked the soccer ball ahead of her, slowly making her way home as the sun began to set. After all, it wasn't exactly uncommon for her to be out for a little while in the evening when her favorite game was involved. Hopefully that idiot father of hers wouldn't be **too** overdramatic about her being home later than usual. Besides, she needed some time alone to think. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why her father and sister thought that Ichigo had run after some jerk that had driven through their house. The last time she'd seen him, he'd been trying to fight off some freakish monster that had attacked them.

And she was **very** worried. She would never show it, of course, especially not since Yuzu was still hoping that he'd be back in a few days. But she couldn't shake the feeling that he might not be coming back. It was in the midst of these depressing thoughts that her senses felt as though they'd just been overloaded, an almost unbearable pressure forcing her to pause and struggle to breathe. The ground behind her let out a crack, and she swiveled around only to see a strange creature with a face that reminded her far too much of her attacker from the day before.

_Haven't these things done enough already!? But it seems so familiar._

She'd started to turn when her mind registered the rest of the creature's appearance. The skull-like white face marked with blood-red stripes, a wide, long silver blade with a black edge just as tall as it was, and a strange white bone-like skin covering its body under a torn old fashioned white and black outfit. But the most outstanding and frighteningly familiar feature of all was the light orange hair that she'd only ever seen on one person.

_Is that…_

"I-Ichigo?" Her brother, or what looked like what might have once been her brother, seemed to pay no attention to her questions. It charged forward and she barely managed to jump to the side, her cap blowing off into the wind as she leaped to her feet. She'd barely moved even a few steps as the ground shuddered as the Hollow punched it with all of its might, sending her tumbling forward to the ground again. She rolled to her back, and scrambled away as it walked towards her in uneven steps, growling all the way. Suddenly it dashed forward, pinning her to the ground with one hand while lifting the massive blade high into the air with the other. Crossing her arms in front of her face in a futile effort to protect herself, she let out one last desperate cry as the blade began its descent.

"Big brother!"

**_Big brother!_** The words echoed through its mind, bringing its movements to a pause. It knew this voice, these words.

And to Karin's astonishment, the blade halted. Looking into the yellow eyes, she could almost see what might have been a spark of recognition. In an uncharacteristically gentle gesture, she slowly lifted one hand to run her fingers along the side of its face.

"Is that you, big brother?" A torrent of too-familiar thoughts, feelings, and images began flooding its mind. The sword fell from its grip as a haunting scream tore through the air, the blade stabbing into the ground next to her as the Hollow began shaking and howling in a rage.

A small girl with long black hair and a red baseball cap, standing in front of several older boys in a field.

_"Get out of here loser." _

_"Yeah, this is our field!"_

Anger, frustration, fear. They were stronger than her.

Karin watched on as he, it, slammed its skull into the ground, trying to drown out the unexpected feelings rushing through its thoughts.

_"No, I'm not leaving! I was here first!"_

Defiant, brave, but not strong enough. In need of protection.

_"Back the hell off you little punks."_

**His** protection. They ran. Cowards.

_"I could've handled it, Ichigo! Those guys were total wimps!"_

Anger, but there was affection, gratitude.

He struck the ground with his "face" again, tearing at the hardened white surface furiously with the sharp, clawed fingers.

_"Yeah, ya probably could have." _

_"Then why'd you get in the way?"_

Simple. Family. Duty.

_"Because I'm your big brother. And the reason why big brothers like me are born first is so they can protect their little brothers and sisters."_

Ruffling the child's hair, chuckling as she pushed it away, pouting.

_"Even when they don't think they need it." _

_"…Thank you."_

Acceptance. Love.

_"No prob. I'll always watch out for you guys,"_

She was sister. His sister.

_"Karin."_

One of the sisters he'd promised to protect, with all of his being.

_I made that promise._

He fell to his knees and slammed his face into the ground once again with all the force he could muster, the bone cracking at the edges.

_Me. When I was still…_

He jerked, twisted, and writhed as he dug both claws into the skin near the right side of the mask. Tearing away at the bone-like material until a tiny piece chipped off. Whether it was instinct or conscious thought, no one would ever likely be able to say, but the armored hands wrapped around the weapon again just above the hilt, and began slamming the end into its bone-like skull as if in some twisted imitation of the soul burial rituals used by the Shinigami. Soon, yet another piece of the mask crack and split away, followed by another, and another.

_Ichigo Kurosaki._

With one last roar, one in which Karin would later swear she'd heard her name before it ended, it drove the hilt into the center of his skull. And finally the right half of the mask shattered as he looked to the sky, revealing the familiar face that she'd somehow known was hidden behind that twisted shell, albeit with a number of differences. The bone-like material covering his body began receding, until they only covered his left arm, and the upper portion of his chest where a small hole was opening in the center. At the same time, a bright glow covered his weapon and she had to glance away for a moment, only to stare in confusion when it ended and revealed a much thinner blade in its place, only larger than an average katana by a small margin. Karin pushed herself up as Ichigo dropped to his knees, still facing the blue sky above, and crawled over to her distraught brother.

And the transformation had come to its end.

_Big brother?_ She reached out again, lightly touching the immobile boy's cheek. It was still distorted slightly; his skin pale and his one visible eye an unnatural black, with a yellow-golden iris staring blankly towards the heavens. Yet as they made contact, and he hesitantly looked down at her with a wide-eyed shock, she knew that it was him.

"Big brother? It's me, Karin."

"Ka…rin." His more human eye softened and he slumped over, leaning his unmasked cheek against her shoulder as her arms wrapped around his neck in a hug. The duo sat like that for some time, unaware of the curious former Twelfth Division Captain watching the events unfold from a nearby rooftop.

"What should we do, Boss?" All three spoke at once, and Urahara turned to look at them.

"Eh? You guys still here? You can head back to the shop. I'll keep a lookout for a little while, but I think he's gonna be okay." The trio behind him silently nodded and began making their way back to the shop, while Urahara turned to look at the duo from his safe distance, fingering a small device that should effectively render Ichigo invisible to the Soul Reaper's tracking devices. Not that he'd quite **expected** this, but it was a nifty little tool to have on hand, and such convenient tools were one of his specialties.

Most of his former associates always seemed to find it annoying.

_Not quite what I expected but hey, it'll do. At least he's not drowning half of the spiritually sensitive people in the city with reiatsu now. Between the Quincy and little Rukia, **that** could have caused a pretty impressive fiasco._

There was still a lot of training that they needed to do, especially considering this particular turn of events, but for now it would probably be best to let the siblings rest.

* * *

AN: And the editing is done, for now. I was incredibly displeased with how it turned out before, so instead of just pumping out another mediocre chapter, I decided to go back and do some serious modifications to this one. And **now** I'll be able to get along to the next chapter without constantly coming back to this one because I'm just so insanely annoyed by it. Until next time, hope you enjoyed.


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